If you're looking for a fun math activity to add to your space unit, these free outer space pattern block mats are a perfect fit.

The kids have been asking a lot of questions about space. I started out by setting out some invitations to learn around the room for them to...

A collection of math and literacy FREEBIES for pre-k through first grade! Books, games, centers, activities and more! FREEBIES!

These FREE counting syllables activities are great for developing phonological awareness. They're great for a space themed unit in Preschool, PreK and

The kids have been asking a lot of questions about space. I started out by setting out some invitations to learn around the room for them to...

One of my favourite inquiries in maternelle so far has been our latest endeavour- learning about space! It seems that every time we ask the students what they are interested in, they mention space, the moon, astronauts, and Star Wars! So we jumped right in to all things space! Dramatic play turned into a space shuttle and we worked with the students to co-create the space scene. My favourite dramatic play centers are those that we co-create with our students. While I love the beautiful *Pinterest Perfect* dramatic play areas as much as the next person, I totally believe in the fact that the children will be more engaged and invested in their play if they help create the materials they use and the area where they play. We found lots of space-themed books at our school library, a lab coat and tubing from a hardware store to act as our space suits. Not pictured is the huge box we brought in and turned into a space shuttle together! At our discovery center, we learned about the phases of the moon. We used this 'Les phases de la lune' playdough mat from my L'espace: Literacy and Science Activities for Kindergarten unit. After reading a book about the phases of the moon, we used playdough and a circular cookie cutter to create the various moon phases. This resource isn't part of my space unit but was tons of fun. One of our ECEs found cute, star-shaped beads at Michael's and used black pipe cleaners to create different constellations. This idea was pretty basic but the kids loved it! Our kinders coloured the planets and cut them out. They then glued them on black construction paper and made Solar System Crowns! This idea is all over Pinterest in English but you can find it in French in my space unit. I always like to set up our discovery center with a variety of books, vocabulary terms, and items to provoke deeper inquiry into our current area of interest. A popular center during this inquiry was the sensory table. (Side note: I created this sensory table but using a jigsaw to cut out a hole in the top of a small, kids' IKEA table and inserted a large, clear plastic bin. I'm super happy with it and would eventually like to get a second table to go beside it for when our sensory play gets bigger than the space available. Read: all the time.) This sensory play experience was created by one of our ECEs, who filled it with dry black beans and a variety of space-themed objects, such as stars, rockets, planets, etc. We also added the upper and lower case letter rocket ship puzzles from my space unit. The table that I currently have directly next to our sensory bin is a great place for the kids to be able to take the letter puzzles out and put them together. Another popular center was our small world play / loose parts area. This area changes depending on what we are learning about and this week we put down a black felt board as a base and left out baskets of planets, words for labelling, story rocks (flat, black rocks that I painted with white circles and then coloured with Sharpies to look like the planets of our solar system), astronauts, and small stars. The students played with this area in many different ways and we were able to scaffold and extend their play throughout the week. In all, this was an awesome inquiry and one that we extended and delved deeper into for several weeks. Unlike some inquiries we have explored, it was relatively easy to find materials in French, however, it is often difficult to find books and materials that are developmentally appropriate for our French Immersion kiddos. I created my space unit in order to have a starting point and some fun centers that would be just at the right level. If you like to purchase the unit, click on the link below: French Space-Themed Literacy and Science Centers I hope I was able to spark some ideas for you if you are about to begin a space inquiry with your little ones soon. xo Jess

Hi guys! Today I'm sharing my subtraction lesson plans & activities from this year. I hope this can give you some ideas for planning your subtraction unit! Day 1: On the first day we introduce the word "subtraction" and define it as "when you take away from a number and get a smaller number". I also introduce these 2 subtraction sentences: ___ take away ___ is ___ & ___ - ___ = ___ Then we watched the "5 Little Monkeys" video on BusSongs.com: and we practiced the ___ take away ___ is ___ subtraction sentence by acting the song out and writing a subtraction sentence as we sang and acted out the song. I had the kids sit on the edge of the carpet and laid down a mat to act as out bed. Then I chose 5 kids to wear these number necklaces and stand on the mat. We sang the song and the kids acted it out by jumping on the "bed". At "one fell off and bumped his head" the kids hopped off the "bed" and just lightly tapped their head with their hands. Then they went and sat back in their original carpet spot or chair. We wrote a subtraction sentence on the whiteboard each time a monkey "fell off the bed". The number necklaces helped them remember who was falling off the bed. 5 is first, 4 is second etc. They loved this activity and begged to do it again the next day! Day 2: We reviewed the anchor chart from day 1 and practiced subtraction with 5 Little Monkeys again. We sang and acted the song out like Day 1 but I also put this file up on the SMARTBoard and we practiced crossing out a monkey on each slide and completing the subtraction sentences as well. Day 3: On Day 3 we introduced the learning goal and success criteria. Learning Goal: We are learning to solve subtraction number sentences and story problems. Success Criteria: I know I can do this when... - I can complete one of these sentences to solve a subtraction problem ____ take away ____ is ____ ____ - ____ = ____ I also showed them how to solve subtraction sentences with fingers and then we practiced this strategy as we read Pete the Cat & His Four Groovy Buttons. This is my FAVOURITE book to read during our subtraction unit! It is great for teaching the subtraction symbols in the context of a fun story! Day 4: We started by adding "I know I can do this when I can use subtraction strategies to solve subtraction sentences." to our success criteria. Then I introduced the subtraction strategies: and we practiced the strategy "use your fingers" again while watching the video "When You Subtract with a Pirate" on YouTube. Day 6: I review the subtraction strategies and tell the kids that today we will be focusing on the strategy "use manipulative". I use this subtraction mat to demonstrate: I put a couple stacks of the subtraction flash cards and pick students to choose a subtraction card and read the equation. I demonstrate how to read the first number and put that many counters in the rectangle. Then we read the second number and take that many away and put them in the cup. Then we count how many counters are left in the rectangle, find the answer card and place it on the mat. Then I leave this out for the kids to try at centres as well. Day 7: On Day 7 we start working on subtraction stories and the strategy draw a picture. I put this subtraction story on the SMARTBoard: Then I had the special helper pick a friend from the class and pick how many cookies that person ate. We filled in the blanks together, read the question again and wrote the subtraction sentence. Then we drew 10 cookies and crossed out the number the they picked to practice the "draw a picture" strategy. We repeated this several times and then I set it out as a centre for the kids to try on their own. Day 8: We quickly talked about "count back" as a strategy and showed them how to put the first number in your head, put fingers up for the second number and then count back as you put fingers down. This is a tricky strategy though so I don't focus on it much! Then I move on to use a number line. We review how numbers get bigger when you go right on a number line and smaller when you go left on a number line so when we subtract we go left. Then I get a student to pick a subtraction sentence card and read it to me. We use this mat to practice using a number line: I put this mat up on the SMARTBoard and we write the question, use the number line to solve the question and write in the answer. I also leave these laminated sheets out as a centre choice for the kids to practice with independently. Here are some other subtraction centres that are out during out subtraction unit! SUBTRACTION CENTRES: 1. 5 Little Monkey's Spin & Subtract Students spin the two spinners and create a subtraction sentence. Then they use the monkeys as manipulative to solve the question and place the answer in the third box. We used toothpicks and paper clips to make the spinners! The kids just hold the paper clip in the middle of the spinner and flick the paper clip with the other hand. 2. Bowling Subtraction This one is always a huge hit! In the past I've just used water bottles and a tennis ball but this year I found this plastic bowling pin set at Michaels and bought them since they were on sale! We set up a bowling alley with our wooden blocks (arranged in the shape of a U) and 2 kids took turns rolling and recording how may pins they knocked down and how many pins they have left. You can grab the recording sheet you see above for free by clicking on the image below! 4. Play Dough Subtraction SMASH! This was another big hit! The students pick a subtraction sentence card, make play dough balls for the first number and smash (or smush) the second number with their first or thumb. Then they count how many play dough balls they have left to get the answer. 5. My Animal Subtraction Book We used these in guided math groups for students who needed some more practice with subtraction. The kids got to pick how many animals they wanted to take away, cross them out and write a corresponding subtraction sentence. 6. Stamp/Dot & Subtract Yes, these stamps again! #obsessed. For both activities they stamped or dotted first and then they crossed out however many they wanted and wrote a subtraction sentence to match their picture. The "teacher bingo dabbers" only come out once in a while so the kids are always excited when they get to use them! You can grab these recording sheets for free as well by clicking on the image below: All of the other printables you see in this blog post can be found in my subtraction pack on TPT "Take It Away! A Kindergarten Subtraction Unit". If you are interested, you can check it out by clicking on any of the images below! I hope you were able to gain some new ideas for teaching subtraction! What are your favourite lessons and activities for teaching subtraction?

The kids have been asking a lot of questions about space. I started out by setting out some invitations to learn around the room for them to...

Space bingo is a fun, low-prep activity for kids. Grab free printable outer space bingo cards for your family or a classroom space bingo game!

My preschool students love to make these coffee filter planets! This is a great addition to your list of preschool science experiments and a must-have for your preschool space theme. The coffee filter planet activity are a cool science experiment that doubles as a beautiful art project. So this activity is not only a tonKeep Reading

Roll and Cover games are dice games that help children practice numeral recognition and counting. While using the 1-12 Roll and Cover game mats, advanced

We love sensory bags at our house. Ever since I made our first sensory bag, Jumbled Snowman, over a year ago, they are always a guaranteed hit. It is a great way to provide hands on play for toddlers and preschoolers. So of course our Study of the Stars would not be…

Blast off with these space literacy activities for preschoolers! Fun, hands-on ways to learn letters, initial sounds, and rhyming words!

This moon craft is great for preschool, kindergarten, first grade, or older kids. It's a great art extension during a space theme in the classroom.

Channel your child’s enthusiasm for the night sky with these 30+ learning through play, constellation activities for kids. “Mommy, look – I see stars!” There’s something truly magical to kids about the night sky. Maybe it’s because they aren’t often out after dark. Or maybe it’s because the night sky…

kindergarten writing, spaces between words

These free Planet Counting Puzzles for kids are a great way to practice number sequencing while learning more about planets and outer space!

With this page, your child can count his way to a completed picture.

The kids have been asking a lot of questions about space. I started out by setting out some invitations to learn around the room for them to...

The kids have been asking a lot of questions about space. I started out by setting out some invitations to learn around the room for them to...

Space activities and centers (literacy, math, fine motor, stem, blocks, sensory, and more) for preschool, pre-k, and kindergarten students.

We pulled together a batch of counting clip cards that combine science and math into one motivating and super fun activity!

If you are looking for space activities for kids, you have come to the right place. Madelynn loved this week full of hands-on learning about planets, stars, the sun and moon! Here were our plans for our space theme: And here are the details for each activity: Astronaut Comprehension: Our first book this week […]

Here's a worksheet that's lots of fun but gets the kids thinking too. Can they imagine they have to pack this suitcase for a 3-month stay on the International Space Station or in a spacecraft? They'll need to really think carefully about each item!

This page has a lot of free printable Space worksheet for kids,parents and preschool teachers.

Coaching parents and educators on disarming communication and social-emotional regulation to support the brain and growing children.

Get ready! The new 2016 Ontario Kindergarten Curriculum is HERE! I am so grateful for the wonderful response to my checklists for the “old” curriculum. Many of you have asked for a new version, so here it is! Here is a complete set of the curriculum expectations for Ontario Full-Day Kindergarten, conveniently broken down into the 4 frames for your easy reference. The 4 frames of the Ontario Kindergarten Curriculum are: Belonging and Contributing Self-Regulation and Well Being Demonstrating Literacy and Mathematics Behaviours Problem Solving and Innovating Print which ever frame you need, or print them all. Many educator teams are using these checklists to keep track of long-range planning and of course they are invaluable during report card time. If you print in colour, the bands on each sheet correspond to the colour coding in the Ontario Curriculum Document.   Have Fun!!!

We recently introduced a few new "items" to the children; wooden reels and circles as well as a multitude of light accessories (which I had sitting in storage for awhile). You can't begin to imagine how innovative they have been in their initial tinkering.

Solar system for kids | This fun game includes planet facts for kids to learn. Use the free printable PDF flashcards to use for memory or headband style game.

An excellent back-to-school project for Kinders, these Shape Robots offer a look into how well a child can cut and paste, identify shapes and apply a little

Have you taken a space field trip? This futuristic activity for kids is a great learning experience. Visit the Challenger Learning Center.